Winter into Spring (flowers, food, & future garden tasks)

Tuesday, March 19, 2024

First, I wanted to blog a bit and give you the goings-on. In February, Ash and I went took a day to celebrate our birthdays. We first went to an escape room, I ate Vietnamese food afterwards (Ashley was informed about the cilantro so she didn't eat!) We stopped in to the Asian market attached to the restaurant, as well. We found banana blossoms, Jackfruit, durian, and mushrooms. 

A couple weeks later, I visited my bff, we went to an Indian restaurant first. I had the vegan Bhindi Masala (okra over rice), and a samosa with chutney and a passion fruit mocktail. Afterwards, we went to an arcade bar and met up with our family-friend.

Next, I wanted to show you the beautiful bouquet of flowers I received and gifted on The V Day. I later dried the flower petals and used them as decor and potpourri.

February and March here start to have really warm amongst the cold, so I tried to enjoy some sun and warmth. Here, I went on an hour walk by the creek with my cats, enjoying the oxytocin of the rushing creek. 

Here are some of my snapshots of food this past February and March.

The first shot is fried spinach over a sweet potato. That's been my  favorite recipe as of late. I like to also garnish it with a balsamic agave glaze and chili flake oil. 

I also tried this weird tasting food called Dolma. I liked it at first, but it got kind of sickening after eating them by themselves. 

Here is a variety salad with orzo, garden green beans, chickpeas, vegan feta over greens with a homemade dressing. I think the dressing is so mix of vinegars, mustard, agave, and olive oil.

Ive also been eating on the kimchi I made last month. I'm about to finish my first jar of kimchi. I made it with Nappa cabbage, Carrot, radish, pear, homemade vegan fishy sauce based on Joanne Molinaro's recipe (Korean Vegan.) 

Batch of vegan kimchi

The vegan fishy sauce was made with a reduction of soy sauce, various vinegars, dried shittake mushroom, fresh garlic and onion, as well as Kelp powder. 

Vegan fishy sauce

And one of my favorite meals in the winter and spring is kimchi with Fried Kale over rice. After a thorough cleaning, I fry the kale with olive oil, nutritional yeast, salt, pepper and then garnish with chili flake oil.

Lastly, I wanted to highlight the blooming flowers in the garden, and showcase the blooming fruit trees. The pear trees, nectarines, peach, cherries, and plum tree are blooming. I notices the blueberry bushes are too. 

Alberta Peach Trees and Nectarine flowers, intertwining branches

Nectarine

Plum tree blooming

The Keiffer pear trees blooming

Kieffer pear

Kieffer pear blooming

Kieffer pears, with white blossoms

I am actively cleaning up the orchard, as I have neglected it for the last 3 years or more. The reason for the neglect is that life has happened, but still, the trees and bushes continues to fruit and produce.

I sometimes wonder if plants need moments where they get a bit wild, let them go wild and then tame them when their ready. 

Maybe plants are like people.  

There are so many briars growing around the blueberry bushes that it's going to take months cleaning it. I am going to much and compost around the trees and bushes while I'm cutting back invasive plants. That'll help Jumpstart everything. 

I am letting my garden at my grandparents yard get wild again. Let it rest. And try to grow a garden back on my mom's yard where I have let it rest. I'm not sure how much gardening I'll get done, I'm working too much and going back for my Master's degree, so time for thr garden is sometimes impossible-- practicularly because I have to drive 30 minutes to get to both of my gardens, and you really need to be able to watch everyday for pests, water retention, freezes, and everything! 

But, I'll still encourage you to grow in containers at your apartment if you're in a similar situation like me! You can definitely grow fruit and veg in small containers and be perfectly satisfied at the abundance, even in an apartment garden. 

Cacti blooming indoors Fall & winter garden

Throughout these last couple of months, my cacti have been blooming pink, red and white flowers. It is uplifting to see blooming, bright, and unique flowers in the dreary, drab, and gray months.

Here they were a few days before getting ready to bloom.

Obviously the cacti are the stars of this blog post. But I'll also share with you some pictures of the other houseplants in all of their lushness, and pictures of some of my little adventures I went on in the last few weeks...

As I was traveling for work, we got to peak inside the Old Mason County hospital. Which you can additional photos here on my Art blog.

Here are more photos of the architecture in Maysville, Kentucky. I can't wait to go back there and actually enjoy it next time without than it being a work trip. 

Fuether down South feom Maysville is yhe town of Wayland, Kentucky. Below are pictures of Floyd County's community center and the old Floyd County high school.

I also traveled to Tennnessee for work, and took a few snaps along my walks...

Other than going on little adventures for work, I have been swamped with school work, and work in general. I find solice in coming home and making good food, hanging out with my little family, or chatting with friends.

And, it wouldn't be full blogpost without one of my foodie pictures. I'll share with you a dinner I had the other day: My version of jajangmyeon is veganized of course, with Nappa cabbage, carrots, potatoes, green onions, black bean paste over noodles. 

This was my Thanksgiving dinner, vegan stuffing that my grandma K made, along with her home cooked carrots, Brussel sprouts, and cushaw slices.

A lot happened in October, so I'll give you all a rundown: Ashley and I traveled to the Red Rover Gorge, as we have made that our new tradition every October to celebrate thr anniversary of when we met for the first time. We had a mini vacation at a beautiful cabin, with a million dollar view of the Gorge and Appalchian mountains. I proposed to Ashley on the last day of our trip, in a very private wooded path that led to large rock formations with an teeney, tiny waterfall. 

Next, I was awarded Advocate of the Year award at my part time job. I wore a very cheap but very cute outfit, as you can see below. 

And, I want to show you some of my Halloween pictures. We decorated for October and we also carved these cute pumpkins.

In October, I also harvested pears from my Kieffer pear trees. 

The same day, I took a small walk in the woods and snapped some photos of rock formations and mushrooms. Judging by the bug activity of the mushroom, these look like they were probably edible. 

In September, for my mom's birthday, Ashley, myself and my sister took mom to the Renaissance Faire for a cute fun day.

And lastly, I'll show you this cute Fall setting that my grandma and I put together. 

I hope you all are taking care of yourselves. I know that for my self, even when I'm so, so busy, I try to take a walk- see nature, breathe fresh air in the woods, go to my local bar on trivia night, decorate, cook good food, and spend time with loved ones, and I hope you do the same in these tough times...

And of course, keep gardening!